标签： Guyana

In a significant diplomatic development, United States President Donald Trump has extended invitations to the leaders of Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago for a high-level security conference scheduled for March 7 in Miami, Florida. This strategic gathering represents Washington’s continued commitment to strengthening regional security partnerships with key Caribbean Community (CARICOM) allies.

The announcement came during the CARICOM mid-term summit in St. Kitts, where Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali revealed the meeting would address pressing regional security challenges. “This engagement focuses on security matters and regional challenges, aiming to enhance our coordination mechanisms,” President Ali stated during a press briefing.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who has openly credited US military cooperation with reducing murders in her nation by 42%, confirmed her participation. In her summit address, she emphasized that “partnership with the US strengthens rather than undermines Caribbean sovereignty, enabling us to combat destabilizing forces across our hemisphere.”

The diplomatic revelation followed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s commitment to CARICOM leaders regarding intensified efforts to combat firearms trafficking from American sources to Caribbean nations. Secretary Rubio acknowledged the alarming sophistication of criminal organizations’ weaponry, much of which originates from the United States. “We recognize our responsibility and are working diligently with law enforcement agencies to disrupt these trafficking networks,” he asserted.

Rubio further highlighted the interconnected nature of transnational criminal operations, noting that narcotics traffickers and other criminal elements utilize sophisticated weapons funded by profits from American markets. This criminal ecosystem, he warned, poses significant threats both to transit countries and ultimately to US national security.

The Secretary of State characterized transnational criminal organizations as the region’s most urgent security threat, noting their resources often rival or exceed those of the nation-states they target. “While we have a established history of cooperation, our collaborative efforts must deepen as these criminal networks grow increasingly powerful,” Rubio emphasized.

Guyana’s security partnership with the United States has particularly strengthened following US support during territorial tensions with Venezuela. The US military currently collaborates with Guyana on maritime and air domain awareness, while agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration provide specialized training in narcotics detection and border protection.

Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar provided concrete evidence of this security cooperation’s effectiveness, citing a dramatic reduction in murders from 623 in 2024 to 366 in 2025. She attributed 40% of previous violent crimes to gang activities fueled by narcotics and firearms smuggling from Venezuela, acknowledging that “US military cooperation has been instrumental in enhancing our national security capabilities.”

During a pivotal meeting with Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders in St. Kitts on Wednesday, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio articulated a comprehensive energy cooperation strategy for the region. The American diplomat confirmed Washington’s readiness to collaborate with Caribbean energy producers in responsibly developing their hydrocarbon resources to generate national prosperity.

Rubio highlighted ‘extraordinary opportunities’ for economic advancement through collective energy initiatives. ‘Many countries represented here possess energy resources that you seek to explore responsibly and safely, generating wealth for your people. We aspire to be your partner in this endeavor,’ stated Rubio according to official State Department transcripts.

The Secretary specifically acknowledged Trinidad and Tobago’s established energy sector alongside emerging producers Guyana and Suriname, noting Grenada’s progressing exploration plans. This recognition underscores the shifting energy landscape in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In a significant geopolitical pivot, Rubio envisioned Venezuela’s potential future role in regional energy supply pending continued political and economic reforms. He asserted that Venezuela has demonstrated ‘marked improvements’ since Nicolas Maduro’s removal from power in January, citing the interim administration’s release of political prisoners, closure of the notorious Helicoide prison, and redirected oil revenues toward public welfare.

‘Regardless of individual perspectives on our Venezuela policy, the country is unequivocally better off today than eight weeks ago,’ Rubio declared, acknowledging some Eastern Caribbean nations’ previous affiliations with Maduro through bilateral and CELAC agreements.

The Secretary connected Venezuela’s stabilization to broader regional objectives, including democratic transitions in Cuba through fair elections. He projected that a legitimately governed, prosperous Venezuela could become an invaluable energy partner and source of regional stability for CARICOM members.

In a striking address at the CARICOM Summit opening in St. Kitts, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar delivered a severe condemnation of the regional body’s operational integrity and political impartiality. The veteran leader revealed that her formal communication regarding the 2022 coordinated kidnapping of a Trinidadian citizen from another member state—a incident validated by her nation’s Supreme Court—had been completely ignored by the CARICOM Secretariat for nearly four years.

Persad-Bissessar articulated profound concerns about the organization’s apparent disregard for opposition voices, suggesting institutional bias toward incumbent governments. ‘The non-response may stem from poor management, lax accountability, or most troubling—the perception that one ceases to be recognized as a CARICOM citizen when not in government,’ she stated before assembled regional leaders.

The Prime Minister further criticized the growing practice of affiliate political parties campaigning across national borders, labeling it a destructive force fostering ‘unneeded factional divisions and private conflicts.’ She highlighted the inherent contradiction in expecting collegial cooperation among leaders whose parties had actively intervened in each other’s domestic elections. Her comments referenced recent events where a senior member of her United National Congress had publicly attacked St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ leadership during their November general elections.

Persad-Bissessar issued a compelling appeal for CARICOM to transcend partisan politics and serve all citizens equally, regardless of their governing status. ‘We are not red, yellow, blue, or green—we are all CARICOM persons deserving of mutual respect,’ she emphasized, urging the organization to reclaim its role as a unifying force rather than an instrument for political advantage.

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders have positioned the regional bloc as a potential diplomatic bridge between the United States and Cuba while urgently calling for humanitarian assistance to alleviate the island’s escalating crisis. The appeals were made during the opening session of the CARICOM mid-term summit in St. Kitts on January 24, 2026.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, former CARICOM chairman, emphasized the critical need for “responsible statecraft rather than rhetoric” in addressing Cuba’s severe economic hardships, energy shortages, and growing humanitarian strain. While acknowledging Jamaica’s status as a moderate U.S. ally, Holness asserted that “space exists, perhaps more than in years past, for pragmatic engagement that protects the Cuban people from further deterioration.”

Current CARICOM Chairman Dr. Terrance Drew, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the community’s potential role as “a conduit to ensure communication and dialogue between the forces that be.” Drawing from his personal experience as a former student in Cuba, Drew expressed profound concern about the distressing messages he receives from Cuban contacts describing food shortages, electricity outages, and garbage accumulation.

Both leaders issued stark warnings about regional implications, with Holness cautioning that “a prolonged crisis in Cuba will not remain confined to Cuba” but would inevitably affect “migration, security, and economic stability across the Caribbean basin.” Drew reinforced this assessment, noting that a destabilized Cuba with its 9-12 million population would inevitably impact CARICOM nations whose combined population remains under 10 million.

The humanitarian advocacy emerged against a complex geopolitical backdrop. Several CARICOM members, including Guyana, have recently terminated decades-old Cuban Medical Brigade agreements under U.S. pressure regarding forced labor concerns. Meanwhile, the U.S. has further tightened its 64-year economic embargo following Venezuela’s political changes.

Not all CARICOM voices aligned with this approach. Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, a self-declared U.S. ally, criticized fellow members for what she characterized as diplomatic hypocrisy. “We cannot advocate for others to live under communism and dictatorship while we want to live under democracy and capitalism,” she asserted, maintaining her government’s refusal to support “dictatorships in Cuba or anywhere else.”

In a striking geopolitical divergence, a community hospital in France’s Cévennes region is pursuing medical cooperation with Cuba even as Caribbean nations sever ties with Havana’s medical program under US pressure. The Cuban Foreign Ministry announced that the Defense Committee of the Cévennes Hospital formally presented a cooperation proposal to Cuban embassy officials on Monday, seeking to bring Cuban doctors to serve multiple communes including Alès, Ardèche, and Lozère.

The diplomatic engagement occurred amid heightened tensions following the January 2026 capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by US forces, which disrupted Cuba’s vital fuel supplies from Venezuela. The Trump administration has threatened severe tariffs against countries supplying fuel to Havana and visa revocations for officials involved in what the US State Department characterizes as ‘trafficking in persons’ through Cuba’s medical missions.

Cuban Second Chief of Mission Justo Rodríguez met with French officials including Sylvain André, mayor of Cendras, and Jean-Michel Suau representing the Hospital Defense Committee. According to Cuban authorities, Rodríguez expressed Cuba’s willingness to ‘respond positively’ once France establishes necessary legal and administrative frameworks. The proposal currently exists as a pilot program in selected municipalities.

The Cuban diplomat subsequently toured the Alès Cévennes Hospital Center with Director General Christian Cataldo to discuss practical implementation details. The visit concluded with expressions of political support from the French Communist Party’s Gard Federation and solidarity associations including Cuba Cooperation France.

This development contrasts sharply with recent actions by Guyana and other CARICOM members who have terminated medical agreements with Cuba following US allegations that Havana confiscates 75-95% of medical workers’ salaries, leaving them with inadequate compensation. The US maintains that Cuba’s program constitutes forced labor, while Cuba defends its international medical cooperation as humanitarian assistance.

In a significant move to combat the transnational threat of synthetic narcotics, the United States has enhanced Guyana’s drug detection capabilities through a specialized forensic training program. From February 9-13, 2026, professionals from the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory (GFSL) participated in an intensive technical exchange hosted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Southeast Laboratory in Miami, Florida.

The training initiative, funded by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, combined theoretical instruction with hands-on laboratory practices. Participants received advanced training in Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques specifically tailored for detecting synthetic drugs including fentanyl—a potent opioid responsible for numerous fatalities across the Americas.

The program provided forensic scientists with real-world operational context, including observation of DEA laboratory personnel processing a 200-kilogram bulk seizure of suspected cocaine. This collaborative effort brought together forensic experts from multiple Caribbean nations, including laboratory directors, chemists, and quality assurance managers from Saint Lucia, Jamaica, and The Bahamas.

The U.S. Embassy in Georgetown emphasized that this training represents a concrete step in implementing Executive Order 14367, which designates fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. The initiative directly addresses critical capability gaps in regional synthetic narcotic detection, safe handling procedures, evidence preservation, and standardized reporting protocols.

This capacity-building effort forms part of the broader GUARDS program (Global Uniform Analysis and Reporting of Drug-Related Substances) administered by the DEA, aimed at establishing consistent forensic standards across participating nations. The collaboration underscores the United States’ commitment to regional security cooperation in dismantling transnational criminal organizations and curbing illicit narcotics trafficking throughout the hemisphere.